UX Design Tools For Each Design Step

UX design tools are essential and they will run through every aspect of the design process. This article will tell you what is the good tool to use.

No matter you are interaction designer or user experience designer, you cannot make a living without the design tools. So, which UX design tools will you use to implement and convey your design ideas? What do you think is the best prototyping tool or wireframing tool? Which tool will you use for user testing?

Like the most people like to choose the free and easy-to-use stuff, so as for the designers. It’s called the human nature. Designers usually prefer the cheap tools, and preferably are browser-based tools. Because that kind of tool has no necessary to install on computer and waste the storage. The online design tool provides solutions for customers and leaders conveniently, at the same time, it also provides a good user experience for the designers. Anyway, no matter the online UX design tools or desktop-based UX design tools, they are indispensable for designers, that’s the tool for them to make a living.

UX Tools for Wireframing/Prototyping Design

Prototyping design is an essential stage in the development of any website or mobile App, even if only a few sketches on paper, it can be considered as the early prototyping design. What is the most popular wireframing/prototyping design tool in 2017?

As a new generation of prototyping tool, Mockplus launched it’s 3.0 version this year with team collaboration, which supports multi-user to design a project. As it said, the team collaboration function is also very simple and easy to use, the team project can be merger by synchronization with one click. What differs from other prototyping tools is that it does not ask users to pay additional for the team collaboration function, so the users can also get it by $129/year.

In addition to teamwork, they made a great improvement this year, including:

2. Axure

Even if the number of prototype tools is increasing every year, but Axure is still sitting at the first place and gaining lots of supports from many designers. Starting from Axure8.0, it officially said "no" to the piracy license. The ending of piracy use of Axure is undoubtedly a big blow for the designers who use the “free” tool. The established use inertia made the pirated users get in distress. After all, the price of Axure, $ 495, is not cheap for the designers, and if you want to use the team version, the $ 895 is also prohibitive for small groups. But without the factor of price, Axure's functional integrity is much higher than other prototyping tools.

3. Uxpin

UXPin has a responsive breakpoint function that creates responsive prototypes and wireframes that can run on different devices and resolutions. In addition, the software also provides version control and iterative functions, you can easily share the preview, intuitive annotations, and real-time collaborative. The software has a large number of attractive UI element style including the web, iOS, Android, etc.

UX Tool for User Testing

1. Usertesting

Usability testing is a technique used in user-centered interaction design to evaluate a product by testing it on users. It is a big deal for improving the user experience. UserTesting is an online usability testing tool that allows getting videos of real people speaking their thoughts as they use websites, mobile apps, and prototypes. The service works for landing pages, emails, ad, prototypes, live sites, and apps. You can opt to have your test designed by an experienced in-house research team or have a project manager come on to oversee that you accomplish your goals.

2. Optimizely

Optimizely, like UserTesting, makes it easy to test and personalize your website and mobile app. However, Optimizely focuses on one specific type of test, A/B testing, so that designers can see how tweaking an interface will affect conversions.

3. Trello

Trello is a web-based project management application originally made by Fog Creek Software in 2011. Trello’s boards, lists, and cards enable you to organize and prioritize your projects in a fun, flexible and rewarding way. With Trello you can create boards to organize anything you're working on. It allows you to invite coworkers and clients to collaborate. You can assign tasks to yourself and coworkers and comment on items with your friends.

UX design tools are essential for UX newbies to make work easier and they will run through every aspect of the design process. There may be a lot of options for each step, but I’d like to choose the simple and easy-to-use tools from the perspective of time cost and efficiency. Well, you can answer my question above now.

Mockplus is a desktop-based tool for prototyping mobile, web and desktop apps easily and
quickly. Create interactions
by simple drag-and-drop and your teamwork will be time-efficient with the collaboration features.